Conor-isms

I recently read a blog (I love blogs, I read them like novels. I think I'm following 30-something blogs right now) where the writer just wrote down all the things she loved about her kids. All those little adorable things they did that she swears she'll never forget but, inevitably, will.

Since this blog functions as Conor's Baby Book, or actually, our Life Book, I decided to write down all the little, adorable, things that I love about my boy.



I love Conor's fake laugh. Heh, heh, heh... He does it when he feels he isn't getting enough attention, like the other day he directed it at some lady at the grocery store. I think she was a little offended until I explained he just wanted her to pay attention to him. I love that he (fake) laughs whenever anyone else is laughing. He just wants to be included in the fun.



I love that when I walk into a room his eyes light up and he goes "Mama!" with all the love and enthusiasm in the world. It doesn't matter if I've been gone all day or for five minutes.



I love that he loves our animals. Every morning, when Tucker and I go in to get him up, he says first, "Mama!" then "Ta-ta (Tucker)" and "pet, pet, pet?" and gives Tucker a good thump on the head. I love how when he is on the couch Luna, he invariably tries to rest his head on her body. No matter how many times she has scratched him.



I love that he blows kisses and waves to young dark haired, dark eyed women he sees out and about. No interest in blondes yet!



I love how he says "mrow, mrow" when he sees Baby Jaguar on Go, Diego, Go! and how he calls Diego Dee-doh.



I love how he loves Tupperware and old plastic cups. He could have $1000 in toys sitting in front of him but he'll pass them all up to play with Tupperware.



I love the way he says two. I can't describe it, you just have to hear it.



I love how he is so big and smart and strong.

I love how when he runs he pitches his whole body forward and just goes for it.

I love that he loves water. Bath tub, pool, puddles, spilled water on the table, it doesn't matter. And then, how when the water cascades over his face, his beautiful long dark lashes clump together and then he looks up and its like a little piece of heaven.

I'll post a whole bunch of pictures soon, promise!

Just some wet shennanigans

A morning in the backyard

Spring is here!

Haircut

I caved.

And In Flash He Was Gone

So Conor is my baby. And I think I forget sometimes that he his not actually a baby anymore. Since Morgan was laid off and has been staying home with Conor I've been noticing more and more what a big boy he is getting to be. I guess I just keep thinking of Conor as a baby and so I don't push him to do the things that he is apparently capable of. In the last four weeks Morgan has taught him at least six new words, and he has learned motor skills that I thought were at least four months off. He, both of them, are just so amazing to me. The way they do things together is so different from how I would do them and honestly, Conor is learning so much from spending time with his daddy. It sucks big time that Morgan was laid off, yes. But, the last five weeks that Morgan has been home with Conor (far more time than I've spent at home in the last five weeks) have shown me not only what a dedicated and devoted father Morgan is, but also just how beneficial it is to Conor that his dear old dad is so involved.

Another sign of growth in our little one is his assortment of bumps and bruises. We were playing over at our friends Wyatt and Michelle's last Friday and before I knew it, Conor took off running down the driveway toward the street. It was a small residential street so he wasn't in imminent danger of being run over or anything and I was chasing him and he fell. And smacked the hell out of his little face. You can see the three places of impact. First, the initial bump on the forehead, then the scrape across the pavement and finally the skid to a stop. Poor guy. But, like the little trooper he is, he cried for a minute and then it was back to playing in the dirt with Wyatt. Oh my baby. Where have you gone?

Later that night Morgan and I were sitting, talking and Conor came running over to us (wait, I see a pattern here), slipped and smacked his head on the corner of the stool I was sitting on. At first I didn't notice anything beyond the ear piercing screams, because my goodness, that boy has a set of lungs! About five minutes later the goose egg appeared. YIKES! Quite literally, it stuck off his head about half an inch. Oy.

So that is the bumps and bruises portion of this blog. Now, onto the "WHAT is that in his MOUTH?". (SIDEBAR: does anyone really understand how to use quotation marks? Inside the punctuation? Outside? For this question I freely open the comments section.) In the course of 16 hours my son (notice I didn't say baby...babies eat only what you put in their mouths) ate dirt from the garden and...wait for it...dog food. Not one little kibble but a whole freaking mouthful of dog food. What a good boy Tucker is to just let him take it. I was wondering why Tucker kept eating the cat food. Now we know, Conor eats most of his food. Its just the food chain in action. Seriously, so gross. I was too horrified to snap a picture of this particular escapade, you'll just have to take my word for it.

And, in other news...listen to fun animal sounds! For those of you who don't know Go, Diego, Go, there is this completely random character called Baby Jaguar and when Diego says Baby Jaguar, everyone is supposed to say meow, MEOW! So that's what that is in the video...

And finally, how much does he look like his Uncle Alex here? And yes, I know I should probably cut his hair, but whatever, I'm the Mommy so what I say goes.

And oh the giggles! The GIIIIIGGGGLES! they kill me. Morgan is fake sneezing here which is apparently the funniest. thing. EVER!



Happy Spring everyone! Thank you for all your love and suppport, prayers and words of encouragement over the last few weeks.

Sunshine Day

WE LOVE SUNSHINE!!!

It feels like its been weeks and weeks and months and months and YEARS and YEARS since we last had a nice day. One thing I love about Oregon is our seasons. There is no doubt that we have at least three distinct seasons. But, because winter and spring tend to run together, February and Mrach can sometimes seem interminable. Since Morgan was laid off I've been feeling really, well, crappy and I've been in desperate need of some sunshine. God is smiling upon us because the last three days have been beyond gorgeous. I love the sun.

Wednesday Conor and I went to Gabriel Park to burn off some energy and he had such fun playing on the swings.

Thursday Conor and Morgan went on a three mile hike through Tryon State Park while I was in school. Don't they look so cute?

Today, Conor and I joined Kelly, Riley and Caden at a park in Lake Oswego. Its always nice to get out of the house even for a few hours. I expect that its going to rain tonight but it was great to have even a couple of nice sunny days. We are all looking forward to summer!


And this, well this is just plain old funny. A dog in a cardigan! HA!

Can I get a Challah!

I made a Challah (traditional Jewish egg bread) for a class I'm taking on understanding international cultures and relationships. I'm ridiculously proud of how well it turned out as I am NOT a good cook by any measure.

Braiding the dough.

Braided and brushed with beaten egg and a pinch of salt.

Braided, brushed and baked. Oh my.

Sliced and ready to eat. So good.

*Special thanks to Kristen for the pictures*